By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - A former track and field coach at Northeastern University and other schools was arrested on Wednesday on charges that he perpetrated a scheme to trick female student-athletes to send him nude or semi-nude photos through sham social media accounts.
Federal prosecutors in Boston said Steve Waithe, 28, through pseudonyms contacted Northeastern athletes on social media to dupe them into believing he had found compromising photos of them online and could help remove them if they sent him additional nude photos.
He was arrested in Chicago, where he now resides, on charges of cyberstalking and wire fraud. A defense lawyer could not be immediately identified. Northeastern did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Updated 6 hours ago
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Former Northeastern University track and field coach Steve Waithe is facing federal charges in connection with what prosecutors said was a scheme to trick female student-athletes into sending him nude or semi-nude photos.
Waithe, 28, of Chicago, Illinois, also allegedly cyberstalked at least one female student-athlete, according to prosecutors. He was arrested by the FBI at his home in Chicago and is expected to make a court appearance there later Wednesday.
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According to court documents, Waithe also previously worked as a track and field coach at Penn State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee and Concordia University Chicago.
Former Northeastern University Coach Charged With Cyberstalking Student Athlete
Signage is displayed at Northeastern University in Boston on April 20, 2020.
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Former Northeastern University track and field coach Steve Waithe, 28, was charged today with one count of cyberstalking and one count of wire fraud for using bogus social media accounts to try to trick female student-athletes into sending him nude photos of themselves. He was arrested at his home in Chicago.
According to the criminal complaint, Waithe frequently requested to use female athletes’ cellphones under the pretense of filming their form at practice and at meets. And beginning in at least February 2020, Waithe allegedly perpetrated a scheme to dupe female Northeastern University track and field athletes into sending him the pictures.
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Updated: Apr 7 2021, 15:32 ET
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A FORMER Northeastern University track and field coach has been accused of tricking female athletes into sending him naked pictures, court documents say.
On Wednesday, Steven Waithe, 28, of Chicago, Illinois was arrested and charged in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts after allegedly tricking his students into sending him nude images.
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On Wednesday, Steven Waithe, 28, of Chicago, Illinois was arrested and charged in federal court in BostonCredit: NU Huskies
From October 2018 to February 2019, Waithe would often asked female athletes if he could use their cellphones and pretended to film their form at practice, according to charging documents.